VCU Utilizes Aurora $5,000 Grant for “Green Zone” Program

Aurora announced today that after presenting a grant of $5,000 to Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU has established the Green Zone program in an effort to create safe spaces for veteran students across its campus. Aurora presented VCU with the grant August 2, 2010, and the university has been working diligently over the past six months to successfully establish the program.

The University Support Services for Returning and Active Military Students (USS RAMS) at VCU established the Green Zone as a means to provide a supportive network of individuals throughout VCU by identifying veteran-friendly supportive and knowledgeable individuals within each School, College, and administrative unit at VCU to whom student veterans can go to in order to receive informal support and assistance. After attending special training on veteran-student issues, volunteers throughout the campus received a green symbol to place on their doors that identify their offices as veteran-friendly Green Zone spaces. The grant from Aurora, along with a grant from the Region IV Virginia Wounded Warrior program, has funded the training and personnel needed to successfully implement the program.

About the Aurora Foundation:

The Aurora Foundation, based in the Washington D.C. area, seeks to enable veterans to successfully complete their college education and transition into the workforce. Through various programs and partnerships, the Aurora Foundation assists veterans in their transition from “Boots to Books to Business.” Funded largely by charitable donations, the Foundation works with institutions like George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Longwood University to support programs designed to assist veteran students who pursue a college degree under the GI Bill.

For more information, contact: Beth Miller-Herholtz, Director of Communications at the Aurora Foundation, at: beth.miller-herholtz@Aurora4Vets.com